Home Delivery by Mother Earth News
By Danell Swim
February 28, 2008
We also know that few medical people are apt to seek out and publicize the ways in which home deliveries actually reduce the risks involved in childbirth. For example, a mother at home will usually be watched and attended far more faithfully than she would if she were in a hospital; she will be less anxious in many cases; she will be much less likely to receive drugs which might poison the baby; her delivery will not be rushed by an obstetrician who is anxious to get on to something else; the baby will not be exposed to the virulent staphylococcus germs which breed in hospital nurseries.
On the other hand, serious complications can develop during any birth and such complications can definitely represent a larger danger to both mother and child in a wilderness cabin than when encountered in a hospital. If you decide to have your baby at home (after having gone through properly-supervised prenatal care) with an experienced nurse, midwife or MD in attendance, the odds are about one in 50 that something will happen during labor and delivery to send you to a hospital. Once in every 200 home deliveries that “something” will be potentially life-threatening.
Yes, this is entirely “natural”. Even wild animals occasionally have trouble delivering and any farmer can tell you of complications he’s had delivering a cow of her calf. It is pointless to deny—no matter how good your “vibes”—that problems can occur. It’s much better if you know about these potential complications before than after they happen and the following description of some of the worst is not meant to scare, but to inform.
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Truebirth,
Thank you for mentioning Mother Earth News on the Web site. We appreciate the attention.
Laura Evers
Mother Earth News